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The Golliwog Project

This Joseph Cornell-esque assemblage was inspired by a Golliwog coupon I inherited. Golliwog's weren't as popular in America as they were in England and I had no idea what they were. So I did a bit of research and discovered the Golliwog was a character invented by writer and illustrator Florence Kate Upton. In her stories, Golliwog played a benevolent character. Sadly, Upton failed to trademark her invention and Golliwog was hijacked and became best known as the mascot of Robertson's jam and the naughty character in Enid Blyton's book The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls. By the 1960s "golliwog" had become a racist term. I couldn't shake the idea of the Golliwog - how it started and the connotations with which it's now associated. It wasn't long before I realized that I needed to make a piece that explored the them of slavery and racism. The result is the piece pictured above. It incorporates various found objects, most of which were collected during my daily walks through the English countryside. This piece is the first chapter in a series of new works of assemblage-style "story boxes", which will incorporate found objects I pick up during my daily walks.

The Gentleman's Chest Project

This is my newest assemblage piece in which I'm transforming an old Gentleman's Chest into a work of art. I hadn't originally intended in altering the original function of this box because I liked it for what it was; however, when I was cleaning my studio the other day, I opened the lid to remind myself if its contents, and the lid fell off into my hands. And seeing the box as separate pieces made me think "this will make a great piece of art!" The tools inside the box are rusted enough to render them no longer useful...which is perfect for me because my art is all about giving new life to that which has lost its purpose. What used to be an oil can makes a perfect "loud speaker" and the whole idea for the composition was born from that element. Almost immediately I knew the title would be "Come Find Me" - now the challenge is how to finish the miniature story I've started. Looking foward to it!

A Family Story

In this body of work I explore sensitive personal family issues such as abuse, alcoholism and gambling. The main character threading these works together is my Grandmother, Wilma. Having lost her husband only a decade into their marriage, she became a widow with the daunting task of raising four children on her own. She became a bartender. And an alcoholic. In her grief, she turned to a family friend. An affair ensued and my Grandmother was dealt another blow - she became pregnant, this time with an illegitimate son. The man with whom she’d had the affair had a wife and family of his own. My Uncle grew up not knowing his father - indeed, not wanting to - and likely playing neighborhood games with half brothers and/or sisters without even knowing it. My mother and her brothers grew up in a house of grief, depression, alcoholism and abuse and I grew up hearing their stories about their grim childhood.

Oddly, these stories were often not told in unresolved agony, but with a hint of dark humor. Most of the imagery I’ve used in these works is quite personal. There are maps of my homeland America, specifically the Midwest (important not just because they signify where I grew up, but also because they symbolize my journey through life as I’ve moved a staggering number of times in my life, back and forth between the East Coast and the Midwest of America and most recently to England); product labels ubiquitous in America, such as Crisco (a type of shortening my Grandmother used to cook everything from cakes to pork chops) and some less so, such as Raleigh cigarettes (a brand my Grandmother used to smoke when I was little which came with stamps she collected and one time filled an entire section of her kitchen cupboard); and most importantly personal family photographs some of which are more happy than others but which have - to me - a shadow of sadness lurking over them. You will also find references to gambling and drinking. Less obvious is my use of paper cranes and clothes hangers; the former a symbol of innocence (and its loss), perseverance and hope and the latter a direct reference to what my Grandmother used to beat her children. While these pieces are very personal to me, I believe they highlight universal themes and contain elements which nearly everyone can identify with on one level or another, be it abuse, alcoholism or even memories. My hope is that they are left ambiguous enough to engage the viewer in such a way that they want to keep looking and reflect upon them with their own personal histories in mind.

Vintage Paintings

I love old signs and logos...especially those from the 30s through the 60s. This collection of work pays homage to my love of advertising from a by-gone era and nostalgia for what seems now to be a "quaint" part of our history - one we continue to idealize despite its many challenges.

The Suburban Housewife

This is a portfolio of works in progress for a series which
explores the subject of the American Suburban Housewife, predominantly during the 50s and 60s. Using an unlikely combination of texts - excerpts pulled from a Time magazine article dated 1960 which refer to the Suburban Housewife as "the aproned housewife" and "keeper of the suburban dream" and laundry soap jingles like "strong as dirt" and "does everything" - this series aims to demonstrate how, during an era of inequality and paranoia, the one place in which women could confidently demonstrate their relevance and worth was in keeping house.

The War Girls

An extension of the my Suburban Housewife Series and Inspired by pin-up girls of the 40s, this new series continues to explore the roles women have played in history. This time I've carefully selected popular slogans from World War II, juxtaposing them with silhouettes of the pin-up girls who played the important role of "lifting" soldier morale. The feminine colour palette and type-face are intentional deviations from propoganda posters, on which they were based.

Bird Series

When I turned 30 I experienced an intense nesting phase. I had just purchased my first home, completely on my own. I was working in a job that I loved, but which could be emotionally and mentally exhausting. I wanted nothing more than to stay in my house - a cute little bungalow owned and occupied by the same owner since they built it in 1930. I felt like a little bird, gathering bits of string, plastic, and grass to build up a secure nest in which to find refuge. These pieces reflect that chapter of
my life. I'll leave you to explore them for yourself to discover the little bits and bobs that found their way into the compositions.

War Ration Series

This series grew out of my inheritance of my grandmother's War Ration coupons from WWII. Around this time I had also managed to acquire a pretty large
collection of Prestype transfers, which I just love. They include everything from letters and numbers in a variety of type faces and sizes to logos for large companies and were used back in the days when graphic designers
worked without the aid of computers. When creating a lay-out they would rub a blunt implement on the back of the Prestype image to transfer it onto their composition. I love the idea that something that was once regarded as a tool of industry has now lost its purpose - much like collection of items I've incorporated into these collages. If you look closely you'll find an old Greyhound Bus logo and what appears to be graphics used by the National Park Service.

The Shadow Box Series

This is what happens when you get burned out doing the same old thing. After spending an incredible amount of time and energy working in a style I call "mosaic collage", I just could no longer face the tedium required to create collages in that style. So I started working small, collecting images that I thought were interesting or humorous. When I first started, I honestly didn't take these seriously at all - they were just too fun for me to think they had any merit. It took me awhile to realize that making art doesn't have to be work - what a concept! These are whimsical little pieces that all sort of tell their own story...not one for me to tell, exactly, but one for the viewer to discover on their own. These collages were created on a wooden cradle board and were then mounted into a deep shadow box, somewhat reminscent to the assemblage boxes made by Joseph Cornell, whom I adore. This was my first major shift from working as an illustrator to that of a fine artist.

Shadow Box in Print

I've always enjoyed translating my work into different media. At the time I completed these, I'd just been introduced to working in silkscreen and thought it would be the perfect way to translate my Shadow Box series into a new medium. Since studying modern art in art school, I had fallen in love with the Pop Artists of the 50s and 60s like Warhol, Lichtenstein, Johns.
While not nearly as colorful as the masterworks created by the aforementioned artists, I referenced their methods and ended up developing this series of work. What interests me about this series is how they emote an entirely different feeling than the original collages that inspired them - they seem to inhabit a different environment and tell a completely different story.